Archer
by Hikaru Irving
Summary: Oneshot. Flynn's already good with a sword and magic, but Schwann thinks he can do so much more. So he starts teaching Flynn archery. Yuri isn't easily impressed.


A/N: Based off a dream I had where I dreamed up an entire new opening for the PS3 port. It was delicious. And Yuri and I started a riot in Zaphias. Oh yeah.

Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with Namco Bandai, nor do I make any material profit from this work. It is purely fan made fun.

--

It took him a fair few tries, but in the end he got the bow strung. It was a long bow, one suited for, well, long range. In a scrape it could be used for short range, but it was best to use for what it was made for. Unlike most other archers who wore their quivers of arrows on their backs, he wore his on his waist, on the right side.

The targets, roughly human shaped, were lined up all along the plains outside of Deidon Hold. This was one of the calmer periods of Deidon where the Lord of the Plains, the giant boar monster, was not rampaging the land between Zaphias and Halure. He'd never used a bow before, so the knight was understandably nervous as he took an arrow, nocked it to the bow and took aim.

The older knight teaching the younger one how to shoot corrected his posture.

"No, no, no ... if you do that, it'll go careening _that_ way. The target's _this_ way."

"I got it," The younger knight maintained. Once he was sure of his aim, he drew back the arrow, pulling the bowstring taut. He took a deep breath once, and released the arrow. It zipped through the air, thunking in one of the targets.

The older knight checked his student's accuracy with a pair of binoculars. There was a twinge in the corners of his mouth that were the beginnings of a smile.

"Better than last time." He said. "This time you actually got it inside the target. No bull's eye, though."

"Sure," The younger knight replied, trying his damnedest not to roll his eyes. "Like you developed such expertise at archery overnight."

"Closest you'd ever get, baby."

" ... Is there a time when you're not full of yourself?" He paused. "Sir?"

There was a heavy sigh. "Flynn, I'm doin' ya a favor here. If you learn how to use all the weapons, and I mean all the weapons this army uses, you'll get to climb up the ladder that much faster."

"But mastery of weapons is not the only thing I'd need, Captain Schwann."

"I know. You have what it takes to get to the top, kid. Just need a lil' polishin' is all." Schwann looked at the struck target through the binoculars again. "And you'll start with hitting the rest of those targets. I wanna see you get a bull's eye sometime soon."

Flynn sighed but obediently nodded, drawing an arrow and taking aim at the next target.

-

This whole having to chat in the inn of one of the ports of either Capua Nor or Torim was getting to be habitual, Flynn thought as the ship moored in the harbor. Capua Torim was much cheerier than Nor was, in terms of the city itself, its people, and the weather. He'd intended to catch that Ragou, but he abandoned ship. In the waters over the sunken ship, Flynn had found Yuri and his ragtag company.

After a painful argument, both parties had decided to stay the night at the inn, and Flynn, feeling rather guilty about their heated exchange in Capua Nor earlier, wanted to make amends with his friend. So they found themselves sitting across from one another, sipping iced tea, eyes locked, but no words exchanged.

"So," Yuri broke the icy silence, stirring the ice cubes in his drink, "what's new with you? Aside from the lovely little lady and apple-head."

Flynn quirked a brow. "Apple-head? He has a name, you know." He shook his head. "Never mind. I could ask the same of you. You're getting yourself into trouble no matter where you go."

"Rita once said," Yuri replied, a sly grin on his face, " 'I want to be all kinds of reckless.' I think I agree."

"You've always been every kind of reckless there ever was."

Yuri quirked a brow, that look on his face that made Flynn slam his forehead with an open palm. _"Every_ kind of reckless?"

"Except _that."_

"So far as you know."

"Yuri ..."

"Hahah! Sorry, Flynn. It's fun to mess with you."

Flynn frowned. How had the tables turned so suddenly? He had wanted to apologize to Yuri. "I should be apologizing."

"For?"

"Capua Nor."

Yuri chortled, as if he found the idea absolutely ludicrous. And perhaps he did.

"Oh, Flynn, don't even start. What you said is true. Don't regret it."

"But I do."

"If you don't stop," there was something menacing in those grey eyes that Flynn could not quite place, "I will start slapping you now and I may never stop."

A small grin erupted on Flynn's face. "Hehe. Fine, you win today."

Yuri stirred the ice cubes in his glass, making a pleasant clinking noise.

"So, back to my original question: what's new with you?"

A dozen things raced through Flynn's mind. His knight's pilgrimage, the struggle of nominating the next emperor--or empress--his subordinates' cooperation or lack thereof, Ragou getting away, the blastia core thief ... they would all seem inconsequential to Yuri. He had quit the knights ages ago, what would he care for their goings-on?

"Well, there is one thing ... Captain Schwann started teaching me archery."

"What?" Yuri's brow disappeared into his hairline, so shocked he was. "The Schwann that always lets his lackeys do his work? Why does he wanna get up close and personal with you?"

Flynn shrugged. "He said that I have what it takes to get to the top, that I just need a little polishing."

"And that equates to archery how ... ?"

"That includes mastery of all the weapons the knights use, including bows." He studied his reflection in his cold tea. "I guess it'd be good to have a backup weapon if something happens to my sword. Bows aren't so bad. I just need to work on my accuracy."

Yuri gave a quick glance at the clock--seven in the evening. Around here, summer was in full swing, and daylight did not begin to dim until eight or even nine. He downed the rest of his iced tea, standing up.

"Care showing me what you learned so far?"

Flynn hesitated for only a moment.

"Sure, I guess."

If only Flynn had guess that Yuri meant an actual battle. With only himself, Yuri, and Repede, they went to the outskirts of Capua Torim. The ex-Imperial Knight promptly whipped out a Dark Bottle. He had already uncorked it when Flynn, startled, asked,

"What are you doing?"

"What's it look like?" Yuri asked, the dark aura swathing the area they stood in. "Attracting monsters."

"Yuri--I haven't actually fought with a bow yet!"

Yuri drew his sword, Repede mirroring him when a cloud of dust signaled the first coming of the beasts. Flynn took a deep breath as he prayed to every god and goddess he knew of: please, please, please let Captain Schwann's lessons been for _something._

"Now's a good time to start, then!"

Conveniently, Flynn had left his sword at the inn, thinking that he was going to only shoot targets, like a far-off tree or a specific mark. Surprisingly, he wasn't very nervous as he drew an arrow, aiming with his left arm and nocking the arrow, the head protruding from the side of the belly of the bow. The bow itself was a gift from Captain Schwann--one of the first he used before he got into the bows that collapsed into swords.

"Dammit, Yuri." Flynn breathed as he concentrated on a small pack of grey wolves that numbered three. Scifos weren't nervous when it counted, only on such trivial matters as, say, a public speech. Not to say he wasn't worried. He hadn't even begun on moving targets, and it wasn't as if his accuracy on stationary targets was stellar. Nonetheless he took aim the best he knew how and loosed the arrow.

It soared through the air, the iron arrowhead gleaming in the late afternoon sunlight, whistling shrilly as it buried itself in the shoulder of the alpha wolf. It howled, but it limped only for three or four steps before it righted its pace. Flynn frowned; he'd been aiming for its eye. No bull's eye yet.

Yuri seemed to have built high expectations. He rushed the wolves, sword swinging, monster blood spraying everywhere. Repede jumped over the second wolf, quickly turning around to attack with a Sonic Return. Yuri called,

"C'mon, Flynn! Can't you do better than that?"

Flynn was a natural with the sword, but he'd only taken up the bow recently, and at Captain Schwann's request. Annoyed, he shot another arrow that landed in the mane of Yuri's wolf, the projectile whistling just past his face. A thin thread of blood opened on Yuri's cheekbone. The only sign of alarm his friend gave was in the slight widening of his granite grey eyes.

"Damn! Watch where you're shooting!"

"I shall endeavor to do so!" Flynn called back, drawing another arrow. He was becoming quite good at rapidly firing, making distance between himself and the monsters when necessary. Yuri's wolf took two more arrows, one in the thigh, another that bounced off its shin before it was sliced open. Repede had finished his opponent and tackled the final wolf.

Flynn had another arrow, but he held off firing because Yuri was in the way. Instead, he cast a First Aid--an apology for almost taking his eye out--and did not fire until his friend ducked to dodge the wolf's lunge. The arrow glanced off its forehead; Flynn took an arrow and fired again. It lodged in its neck, and Repede killed it with another arte.

Grinning, Flynn lowered the bow, walking up to Yuri and Repede.

"Good enough for you?"

Yuri shrugged. "The best instructor is the battlefield. You won't learn anything useful with the way Schwann's been coddling you."

"Coddling?"

"Yeah. Coddling."

True, the knights' training did not--could not prepare them for each and every eventuality in battle, but it was a start. After all, it beat sending completely untrained cadets on the battlefield. Besides, a soldier's primary role was to follow the orders his general gave.

But Flynn had big plans. He wasn't going to stay just a soldier forever.

"I'm still a better fighter than you are. I can use a sword, a bow, and magic. What can you do? Swing a sword."

"Psh." Yuri huffed, his eyes narrowing. "Better to speak three languages well than half a dozen badly."

"Like you speak any other language."

"Oh, that's right, the Empire monopolized language, too."

"You wouldn't have the patience to learn another language."

"Yes I would."

"Okay. In Ancient Ispanian, what does the word _viento_ mean?"

"Hell if I know."

"Ah-hah."

"Only you uppity knight types have the chance to learn another language, anyway!"

"Uppity knight types? That's it--_Photon!"_

"Whoa! It's on now, pretty boy!"

"Says the man with long hair!"

"Haha! Let's go!"

"Wait! Let me get my sword!"


End file.
